Which skin tone is best? Four different profiles

[Vladimirovich]

I prefer the Capture One, linear, daylight profile by far of all the ones you posted. It seems to be the best for color grading no question.

indeed, that's why my subjective "the best star in MilkyWay" opinion is - Adobe profiles shall be somewhat gutted before using (that included removing LookTable and replacing ToneCurve with linear one - unfortunately in OEM rendering emulation profiles that LookTable does now a big chunk of the color transform work and ToneCurve it seems works like an exposure correction, so that's more about Adobe Standard profiles)...

[Slobodan Blagojevic]

Here is one way to answer your question Erik:

1. Make four life-size prints
2. Cut each one in half vertically
3. Make  four new photographs, this time covering one half of your face with a print
4. See which one is closest* to your skin tone

Voilá!

* EDIT: Which does not necessarily means "the best." Maybe you look better with a bit of a tan added?

[Alan Klein]

LR5.3 is the nicest to me-the warmest.  The others are either too yellow or too light.

[Vladimirovich]

LR5.3 is the nicest to me-the warmest.  The others are either too yellow or too light.

and your avatar says so !

[ErikKaffehr]

Hi Slobodan,

A bit sarcastic today? :-)

Anyway your suggestion won't work, because it's winter now, and skin gets brighter.

There is another way, you measure skin tone with a spectrometer. Than you convert your image Lab and replace the a and b channels with your measured values. I tested this technique on a portrait posted by Hulyss Bowman, taking spectrum from my skin. That proved a remarkably good match.

Best regards
Erik

Here is one way to answer your question Erik:

1. Make four life-size prints
2. Cut each one in half vertically
3. Make  four new photographs, this time covering one half of your face with a print
4. See which one is closest* to your skin tone

Voilá!

* EDIT: Which does not necessarily means "the best." Maybe you look better with a bit of a tan added?

[ErikKaffehr]

Ken,

Thanks a lot for a real answer.

Best regards
Erik

I prefer the Capture One, linear, daylight profile by far of all the ones you posted. It seems to be the best for color grading no question.

[ErikKaffehr]

Hi Alan,

Thanks for your observation. That one is with Colour Checker Passport. Three are processed in LR5.3 with only "profile" changing C1 is a bit different because I cannot exactly match exposure.

I know very little about skin tones, that is the reason I asked. I am struggling a bit with colour on the P45+. I am not happy with the Adobe Standard Profile. I have generated a few profiles based on the standard Color Checker but was not really happy. A couple of days ago I got a QPcard, which has a different set of patches, possibly better matching skin tones.

Your input is really appreciated.

Best regards
Erik

LR5.3 is the nicest to me-the warmest.  The others are either too yellow or too light.

[Slobodan Blagojevic]

Hi Slobodan,

A bit sarcastic today? :-)

No, for a change I was actually serious.

[Vladimirovich]

There is another way, you measure skin tone with a spectrometer.

actually just take somebody good photo and steal skin tone from it  ... it's not copyrighted, is it ?

[Vladimirovich]

I am not happy with the Adobe Standard Profile. I have generated a few profiles based on the standard Color Checker but was not really happy. A couple of days ago I got a QPcard, which has a different set of patches, possibly better matching skin tones.

QPCard allegedly creates a totally new profile from scratch every time, while Adobe DNG PE is always modifying some base profile... so GIGO.

[ErikKaffehr]

Hi,

The way I make my pictures I do very little on color. Just pick white balance. Than I do a lot of stuff with the 'L-channel',  but do little on the 'ab' stuff. Naturally I change saturation, vibrance and so on. With the way I work the profile is important.

On Sony Alpha I was quite satisfied with Adobe Standard rendition. But I found it lacking on the P45+. So I started of by building my own profile.

The left image here is with Adobe Standard Profile and the right one created by DNGProfileEditor.


Best regards
Erik

No, for a change I was actually serious.

[synn]

actually just take somebody good photo and steal skin tone from it  ... it's not copyrighted, is it ?

I have no idea what a spectrometer costs, but whatever it is, I'd invest that in some lighting gear.
Much more useful for actually shooting portraits.

[ErikKaffehr]

Hi,

Color Munky Photo, about 500 $US. Calibrates you printer and screen. It is also a 10 nm band spectrometer. You really need a spectro for making paper profiles.

Here in Sweden if you buy paint for a house, they ask you to take a sample with you, measure it with a spectrometer and mix a matching colour.

Best regards
Erik

I have no idea what a spectrometer costs, but whatever it is, I'd invest that in some lighting gear.
Much more useful for actually shooting portraits.

[eronald]

I have no idea what a spectrometer costs, but whatever it is, I'd invest that in some lighting gear.
Much more useful for actually shooting portraits.

Most older males have sub-par color vision, if only because young females have better than average color vision . It's kind of annoying for photographers because their customers are often women with superb color vision. Luckily of course, every artist in this forum is an exception to this rule

Edmund

[synn]

Hi,

Color Munky Photo, about 500 $US. Calibrates you printer and screen. It is also a 10 nm band spectrometer. You really need a spectro for making paper profiles.

Here in Sweden if you buy paint for a house, they ask you to take a sample with you, measure it with a spectrometer and mix a matching colour.

Best regards
Erik

http://www.sandeepmurali.com/p234558723/h73f3c959#h73f3c959

Godox Wistro. Around the same price. A powerful and compact strobe. Not mine (I use a Quadra), but borrowed from a friend to see how it is. Quite surprised by the output.

As for the skintones, Shot the SpyderCheckr under the same lighting conditions, brought it into C1 did an "Auto adjust", saved as a user preset.
Applied it to this image with the neutral film curve, made a few curve adjustments. That's about it.

Quite happy with the skintone myself. What do you reckon?

[eronald]

http://www.sandeepmurali.com/p234558723/h73f3c959#h73f3c959

Godox Wistro. Around the same price. A powerful and compact strobe. Not mine (I use a Quadra), but borrowed from a friend to see how it is. Quite surprised by the output.

As for the skintones, Shot the SpyderCheckr under the same lighting conditions, brought it into C1 did an "Auto adjust", saved as a user preset.
Applied it to this image with the neutral film curve, made a few curve adjustments. That's about it.

Quite happy with the skintone myself. What do you reckon?

I don't reckon much. Usually Asian, at least Chinese and Japanese women prefer to be paler in images, which is why a lot of skin whitening agents and treatments are sold in Asia. So, frankly I have no idea - I would try to avoid cheekbone and forehead burnout as far as possible - many cameras will burnout whatever you do so makeup is key - and then throw the image to a specialist retoucher to fix color as culturally appropriate.

Edmund

[synn]

I don't reckon much. Usually Asian, at least Chinese and Japanese women prefer to be paler in images, which is why a lot of skin whitening agents and treatments are sold in Asia.

Edmund

Actually living in Asia and having delivered a print of that image to the subject in question to her complete delight, I find your theoretical opinions amusing, as always.

[eronald]

Actually living in Asia and having delivered a print of that image to the subject in question to her complete delight, I find your theoretical opinions amusing, as always.

Well, I'm entitled to my false opinions - you are entitled to your photographic technique


That is one of the reasons why color consultants tend to be local.

Edmund

[ErikKaffehr]

Hi,

I like the skin tone in your photograph. But I know little about skin tone, otherwise I would have not posted this question.

Best regards
Erik

http://www.sandeepmurali.com/p234558723/h73f3c959#h73f3c959

Godox Wistro. Around the same price. A powerful and compact strobe. Not mine (I use a Quadra), but borrowed from a friend to see how it is. Quite surprised by the output.

As for the skintones, Shot the SpyderCheckr under the same lighting conditions, brought it into C1 did an "Auto adjust", saved as a user preset.
Applied it to this image with the neutral film curve, made a few curve adjustments. That's about it.

Quite happy with the skintone myself. What do you reckon?

[eronald]

Hi,

I like the skin tone in your photograph. But I know little about skin tone, otherwise I would have not posted this question.

Best regards
Erik

Erik,

 I'll look at your file when I wake up. I want to understand what is happening to the shirt before even thinking about the skin tone - the shirt appears posterised on my laptop for some of the renderings and I want to look at the Raw itself. But frankly - on a given job synn's approach is best in a way - whatever feels nice and your customer likes is  ok. It's different when you're selling camera profiles as I used to do, and you need to create something that is both "accurate" and has a nice "look" under a bunch of lighting conditions.

Edmund